Michael Kissi is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Tourism, Cape Coast Technical University, Ghana. His research interests are in tourism and hospitality education, tourism and hospitality management and marketing, and tourism policy implementation.
This study examined the impact of motivation on the performance of restaurant employees within th... more This study examined the impact of motivation on the performance of restaurant employees within the Cape Coast Metropolis of the Central Region of Ghana. The study sought to identify motivational strategies used by the selected restaurants and determine their effectiveness in influencing employee performance. An ex-post facto research survey was adopted for the study using Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as the theoretical framework. Primary data were collected from 5 restaurant managers and 55 of their employees using simple random sampling to elicit data on motivational strategies used by management to incentivize their staff. The findings showed that motivational strategies used included the payment of bonuses, free communication, monetary rewards and the provision of free meals, recognition and rewards. Most of the employees were however dissatisfied with the motivational packages resulting in the low performance of the respondents as obtained from performance indicators on profitability, customer satisfaction and increased customer base, showing the ineffectiveness of the motivational strategies used. Lack of effective implementation of some of the motivational strategies and inconsistency in strategic decisions were the major constraints affecting employees’ performance. It was thus recommended that more motivational incentives such as supported study leave should be planned for the employees in order to help reduce absenteeism and the high labour turnover in the restaurant industry in Ghana.
Employers of graduates of higher education have often complained of a gap between skills and work... more Employers of graduates of higher education have often complained of a gap between skills and work attributes required by industry and those acquired by graduates. The main aim of this paper was to provide a comparison of views of employers and tourism graduates on employability skills required for employment by industry in Ghana. The paper was based on a tracer study conducted in June and July 2011 at the Tourism Department of Cape Coast Polytechnic, in Ghana. The study, which was cross sectional, involved a sample of 174 employed tourism graduates, selected using snowball sampling and 25 of their employers selected through multi stage sampling. The results of the study indicated that while there were no vast differences in their views regarding importance of certain skills, there were variations in the level of importance placed on such skills. For instance, the graduates considered the work attribute of time management more important than the employers, while the employers gave higher priority to team working skills than the graduates. An implication of this study is that strong collaboration is needed between higher educational institutions and industry employers not only to ensure industrial attachment placement for students but also for the students to acquire the right employability skills and work attributes, needed by industry.
Public policy implementation in Ghana, including tourism policy, has been lamented or deplored ge... more Public policy implementation in Ghana, including tourism policy, has been lamented or deplored generally by a majority of Ghanaians. In order to establish the veracity or otherwise of the foregoing assertion, the implementation of tourism quality assurance policies related to hotels and restaurants in Ghana was examined. Generally, the study sought to assess the perception of hotels and restaurants in Ghana of the implementation of tourism quality assurance policies. Specifically, it examined the characteristics of the hotels and restaurants surveyed across the country, sought their perception of the QA Inspectors and functions in their implementation of QA policies; and their assessment of the performance of QA Inspectors. A total of one hundred and forty (140) respondents were surveyed across four regions of Ghana using the non-probability sampling technique of quota sampling in selecting the sample. The data were analysed quantitatively. The study found out that the hotels generally had a positive view of the QA Inspectors and functions of the Ghana Tourism Authority in their implementation of the harmonized standards, in spite of some challenges. Among the nine characteristics of QA Inspectors rated, three were identified as critical and these are that they were knowledgeable about their inspection duties; competent to carry out the inspections; and responsive to questions asked by management and staff of facilities. The main conclusion drawn was that the QA Inspectors could be more effective in their implementation of the harmonized standards if the challenges facing them are addressed.
This study examined the impact of motivation on the performance of restaurant employees within th... more This study examined the impact of motivation on the performance of restaurant employees within the Cape Coast Metropolis of the Central Region of Ghana. The study sought to identify motivational strategies used by the selected restaurants and determine their effectiveness in influencing employee performance. An ex-post facto research survey was adopted for the study using Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as the theoretical framework. Primary data were collected from 5 restaurant managers and 55 of their employees using simple random sampling to elicit data on motivational strategies used by management to incentivize their staff. The findings showed that motivational strategies used included the payment of bonuses, free communication, monetary rewards and the provision of free meals, recognition and rewards. Most of the employees were however dissatisfied with the motivational packages resulting in the low performance of the respondents as obtained from performance indicators on profitability, customer satisfaction and increased customer base, showing the ineffectiveness of the motivational strategies used. Lack of effective implementation of some of the motivational strategies and inconsistency in strategic decisions were the major constraints affecting employees’ performance. It was thus recommended that more motivational incentives such as supported study leave should be planned for the employees in order to help reduce absenteeism and the high labour turnover in the restaurant industry in Ghana.
Employers of graduates of higher education have often complained of a gap between skills and work... more Employers of graduates of higher education have often complained of a gap between skills and work attributes required by industry and those acquired by graduates. The main aim of this paper was to provide a comparison of views of employers and tourism graduates on employability skills required for employment by industry in Ghana. The paper was based on a tracer study conducted in June and July 2011 at the Tourism Department of Cape Coast Polytechnic, in Ghana. The study, which was cross sectional, involved a sample of 174 employed tourism graduates, selected using snowball sampling and 25 of their employers selected through multi stage sampling. The results of the study indicated that while there were no vast differences in their views regarding importance of certain skills, there were variations in the level of importance placed on such skills. For instance, the graduates considered the work attribute of time management more important than the employers, while the employers gave higher priority to team working skills than the graduates. An implication of this study is that strong collaboration is needed between higher educational institutions and industry employers not only to ensure industrial attachment placement for students but also for the students to acquire the right employability skills and work attributes, needed by industry.
Public policy implementation in Ghana, including tourism policy, has been lamented or deplored ge... more Public policy implementation in Ghana, including tourism policy, has been lamented or deplored generally by a majority of Ghanaians. In order to establish the veracity or otherwise of the foregoing assertion, the implementation of tourism quality assurance policies related to hotels and restaurants in Ghana was examined. Generally, the study sought to assess the perception of hotels and restaurants in Ghana of the implementation of tourism quality assurance policies. Specifically, it examined the characteristics of the hotels and restaurants surveyed across the country, sought their perception of the QA Inspectors and functions in their implementation of QA policies; and their assessment of the performance of QA Inspectors. A total of one hundred and forty (140) respondents were surveyed across four regions of Ghana using the non-probability sampling technique of quota sampling in selecting the sample. The data were analysed quantitatively. The study found out that the hotels generally had a positive view of the QA Inspectors and functions of the Ghana Tourism Authority in their implementation of the harmonized standards, in spite of some challenges. Among the nine characteristics of QA Inspectors rated, three were identified as critical and these are that they were knowledgeable about their inspection duties; competent to carry out the inspections; and responsive to questions asked by management and staff of facilities. The main conclusion drawn was that the QA Inspectors could be more effective in their implementation of the harmonized standards if the challenges facing them are addressed.
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Papers by Michael Kissi
effective implementation of some of the motivational strategies and inconsistency in strategic decisions were the major constraints affecting employees’ performance. It was thus recommended that more
motivational incentives such as supported study leave should be planned for the employees in order to help reduce absenteeism and the high labour turnover in the restaurant industry in Ghana.
tourism graduates, selected using snowball sampling and 25 of their employers selected through multi stage sampling. The results of the study indicated that while there were no vast differences in their views regarding importance of certain skills, there were variations in the level of importance placed on such skills. For instance, the graduates considered the work attribute of time management more important than the employers, while the employers gave higher priority to team working skills than the graduates. An implication of this study is that strong collaboration is needed between higher educational institutions and industry employers not only to ensure industrial attachment placement for students but also for the students to acquire the right employability skills and work attributes, needed by industry.
effective implementation of some of the motivational strategies and inconsistency in strategic decisions were the major constraints affecting employees’ performance. It was thus recommended that more
motivational incentives such as supported study leave should be planned for the employees in order to help reduce absenteeism and the high labour turnover in the restaurant industry in Ghana.
tourism graduates, selected using snowball sampling and 25 of their employers selected through multi stage sampling. The results of the study indicated that while there were no vast differences in their views regarding importance of certain skills, there were variations in the level of importance placed on such skills. For instance, the graduates considered the work attribute of time management more important than the employers, while the employers gave higher priority to team working skills than the graduates. An implication of this study is that strong collaboration is needed between higher educational institutions and industry employers not only to ensure industrial attachment placement for students but also for the students to acquire the right employability skills and work attributes, needed by industry.